Dispute over Town Hall disabled access

A £3 million Town Hall revamp has left disabled visitors without access to the council’s public galler, with bosses blaming a lack of space and money.

Wheelchair users wishing to attend meetings now have to sit in the middle of the open space in the US Senate-style circular configuration as there are steps up to the gallery and no ramp or lift for the disabled.

The Moorgate Street building reopened in September after a £2.9 million refurbishment, with Rotherham Borough Council saying the work had “addressed public concerns.”

The council chamber was redesigned with tiered seating and built-in technologyfor the 63 councillors.

But the tiers meant that the two public galleries needed to be even higher and the council claims that adding the access would have been too costly.

Opposition councillor Tom Fenoughty said: “I think it’s a disgrace that the public gallery does not have disabled access.

“Businesses across the town spend thousands of pounds to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

“It is an embarrassment that they have not catered for the needs of the disabled people of Rotherham.”

Cllr Gerald Smith, Cabinet member for regeneration and environment, said that disabled people were not discounted when the plans were drawn up.

“The chamber design was undertaken with consultation with the access officer,” he added.

“This is an existing building and therefore design was limited by the restrictions of the space available.

Committee rooms either side of the main chamber would have needed to be ripped out to provide enough space for ramps.

Cllr Smith added that installing lifts would have been too expensive.

The council said it was “contractually committed” to the refurbishment before the economic crisis.